Territory Journey
Rick Sosa
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THE HOME OPENER
The Vikings returned to Minneapolis since facing the Indianapolis Colts in preseason and to US Bank stadium for a regular season game with fans since December of 2019. Facing an 0-3 start to the season and a QB in Russell Wilson undefeated against Minnesota (7-0) the purple were looking forward to the thundering noise the fans could bring in their favor. And the fans delivered with an electric afternoon.
With a beautiful day outside the stadium the tailgating was massive and fans were enjoying the party with friends, family and fellow Viking fans. But everyone was keeping an eye on their smart phones for updates as star RB Dalvin Cook was going through warm ups inside the stadium in a last attempt to be available to play. Cook suffered an ankle injury at the hands of JJ Watt last week in Arizona. The update arrived and Cook was ruled out. It seemed like a setback going into the game.
Alexander Mattison number was about to be called and he was ready. I had dinner with Mattison’s parents the night before and Darrell his father told me “this is an opportunity for redemption” in reference to the 2020 game against the Seahawks in which his son did not convert on a key late 4th and 1 run play. But Mattison did end up running for 112 yards in that contest and was ready to answer the call.
The game started and the Vikings defense looked weak with the pass rush and unable to stop Russell Wilson who marched down the field to get the first score of the game. Wilson connected a TD pass to WR D.K. Metcalf with you guessed it Bashaud Breeland in coverage. But as it has been a common theme this season Kirk Cousins was on a mission. Cousins marched down the field himself and connected a TD pass with TE Tyler Conklin to culminate the drive for a quick response.
Cousins wasn’t done and with excellent pass protection and Alexander Mattison running wild getting his redemption the Vikings added a score with a TD pass to Adam Thielen. Mattison ended the game with 171 all purpose yards shredding Seattle’s defense all game long. The Seahawks added a score of their own with a TD run from Cris Carson and the Vikings defense continued to look unable to stop anyone.
Again in a crucial moment of the game Mike Zimmer did a 180 from last week Arizona contest. Perhaps fired up by the crowd or the Odin fighting spirit Zimmer went for all the marbles in the final drive of the half instead of settling for a FG. He was rewarded with a red hot Kirk Cousins drive that culminated with a TD pass to WR Justin Jefferson. When you have the quality players at your disposal you have to be aggressive to stake your claim.
The second half was a different story on defense. Mike Zimmer made the necessary adjustments to nullify Wilson and the Seahawks offense with better pash rush and tighter coverage. The combination of good defense and offense made it for a game resolved in favor of Minnesota way before having the need to come to the final play. Greg Joseph made all of his kicks and became an afterthought.
The Vikings have found themselves in a position where they have a winning formula. A great unpredictable offense with a red hot QB, great pass protection, a rushing attack and solid defense. Something to note is with the absence of Dalvin Cook you have to ensure his return does not translate into a more predictable offense. Next is the prodigal son Kevin Stefanski returns home with the Cleveland Browns at US Bank stadium.